NYRB Classics

Begun in 1999, this series from the publishing arm of the New York Review of Books is certainly the biggest and most successful current venture into the revival of neglected books. As J. Peder Zane wrote of the series in the Raleigh News and Observer, “They are reminders that even high achievement is no guarantee of immortality in the crowded realm of literature, where the laws of supply and demand, of time and space, hold greater sway than aesthetic justice.”

Each title features an original introduction, usually written by a prominent author. Unknown Masterpieces collects thirteen such essays, along with a preface by series editor Edwin Frank.